Grok’s ‘spicy’ video setting instantly made me Taylor Swift nude deepfakes

Grok Imagine will happily generate images like this using Taylor Swift’s likeness that can be used to make ‘spicy’ videos. The “spicy’ mode for Grok’s new generative AI video tool feels like a lawsuit waiting to happen. While other video generators like Google’s Veo and OpenAI’s Sora have safeguards in place to prevent users from … Read more

Roku is launching a cheap, ad-free subscription service of its own

Today, Roku announced the forthcoming arrival of Howdy, a new monthly subscription service that will give its users access to a massive catalog of on-demand films and series. Like other streamers, Howdy will feature a selection of programming licensed from other studios including Lionsgate and Warner Bros., as well its own original productions like Weird: … Read more

Online shopping is full of copycats

Let’s be real: the internet is full of a lot of the same stuff. From derivative content on social media to websites that all look the same, what was once a portal to new worlds and experiences has been feeling a bit dry recently, like I’ve seen all this stuff before. And now, even the … Read more

Microsoft’s Windows XP Crocs are no joke

The Windows XP Crocs. | Image: Microsoft Microsoft isn’t done celebrating its 50th anniversary just yet. Multiple employees tell me that Microsoft has created limited edition Windows XP-themed Crocs. They even come with a Clippy shoe charm if the Bliss wallpaper on your feet wasn’t enough 50-year nostalgia. The anniversary edition Crocs are currently available … Read more

Amazon is bringing its Starlink alternative to Australia next year

Amazon says it will offer several Project Kuiper terminal models, but pricing hasn’t yet been announced. Amazon’s unproven Project Kuiper satellites will be put to work next year, supplying internet access to rural Australians. The retail giant announced an agreement with Australia’s state-owned National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) on Tuesday to provide satellite internet … Read more

Amazon pulls the plug on Sengled’s Alexa skill after months of outages

Amazon has killed the cloud-based skill that connects Sengled bulbs to Alexa. Some Sengled bulbs that use local protocols, like this Matter one, can still work with Echo devices. After repeatedly leaving customers without smart control of their lights, Sengled has been booted from Amazon’s Works With Alexa program. As first reported by TechHive, beginning … Read more

ChatGPT will ‘better detect’ mental distress after reports of it feeding people’s delusions

OpenAI, which is expected to launch its GPT-5 AI model this week, is making updates to ChatGPT that it says will improve the AI chatbot’s ability to detect mental or emotional distress. To do this, OpenAI is working with experts and advisory groups to improve ChatGPT’s response in these situations, allowing it to present “evidence-based … Read more

Cloudflare says Perplexity’s AI bots are ‘stealth crawling’ blocked sites

The AI search startup Perplexity is allegedly skirting restrictions meant to stop its AI web crawlers from accessing certain websites, according to a report from Cloudflare. In the report, Cloudflare claims that when Perplexity encounters a block, the startup will conceal its crawling identity “in an attempt to circumvent the website’s preferences.” The report only … Read more

One of the biggest newsletter platforms now syndicates to Bluesky and Mastodon

Newsletter platform Ghost now lets publishers syndicate their posts across social web platforms like Bluesky, Threads, and Mastodon.  With Ghost’s free social web syndication feature, which is built on top of the ActivityPub protocol, “just as people can visit your Ghost website in any browser, subscribe with any feed reader, or receive newsletters in any … Read more

Rivian calls Ohio’s ban on direct car sales ‘irrational in the extreme’ in new lawsuit

Rivian is suing Ohio’s department of motor vehicles over the state’s ban on car companies bypassing dealerships to sell cars directly to consumers. In the federal lawsuit, the electric vehicle company calls the ban “irrational in the extreme,” arguing that it decreases competition and reduces consumer choice. Rivian also notes that Tesla is allowed to … Read more

Amazon is gutting its Wondery podcast studio

Amazon is splitting up its Wondery podcast studio just four years after acquiring it, as first reported by Bloomberg. As part of the change, the studio will shed around 110 employees, while Wondery CEO Jen Sargent will leave the company. In a statement to The Verge, Amazon spokesperson Alice Zhou confirmed that while Wondery will … Read more

8BitDo’s first wireless Xbox controller is a surprise Rare collaboration

8BitDo’s new wireless Xbox controller. 8BitDo has created its first wireless Xbox controller in partnership with Rare, a game studio acquired by Microsoft. The officially licensed controller features a gold and blue design, with plenty of Easter eggs to celebrate Rare’s 40th anniversary. The $89.99 8BitDo Ultimate 3-mode Controller for Xbox — Rare 40th Anniversary … Read more

Why tech is racing to adopt AI coding

Hello, and welcome to Decoder! This is Casey Newton, founder and editor of the Platformer newsletter and cohost of the Hard Fork podcast. I’ll be guest hosting the next few episodes of Decoder while Nilay is out on parental leave, and I’m very excited for what we have planned.  If you’ve followed my work at … Read more